The invention relates to an electric connector such as a connector for use in a card, a connector for use in a printed wiring board, and the like, particularly to an improvement of bellows type contact mounted onto the electric connector.
The connector onto which bellows type contacts have been mounted has such problems that the height of a housing of the connector (hereinafter referred to as connector housing) is substantially affected by the amount of displacement caused by the elastic deformation of the contact when each contact contacts another contact, so that there is limitation in the reduction of height of the housing in the direction of displacement of the contact, thereby enlarging an accommodating space of the connector housing so that there has been a problem of realization of a low-profile connector.
For example, FIGS. 14(A) and 14(B) and FIGS. 15(A) and 15(B) are respectively sectional views showing a connector having a housing into which a bellows type contact is mounted. The connector shown in FIGS. 14 (A) and 14 (B) is a type wherein the connector has an elastic contact 100 which is bent downward at its tip end at a given angle, and an tip end thereof enters a housing wall while the connector shown in FIGS. 15(A) and 15(B) is a type wherein a contact 200 is folded back upward and bent downward at its tip portion at a given angle.
The bellows type contact 100 shown in FIGS. 14(A) and 14(B) is made of substantially a belt-like conductive elastic contact member, and comprises a belt-like flat part 101 and a contact part 103 formed by bending the flat part 101 upward, and the tip end 105 of the contact part 103 enters the interior of a housing wall 110. The housing wall 110 is formed on both sides surfaces of an elastic contact member (one housing wall 110 alone is illustrated and the other housing wall 110 is omitted) wherein the height of each housing wall 110 is determined such that the contact 100 is displaced between the housing wall 110 and an upper face 112, and the tip end 105 is brought into contact with a bottom face 114. The length of each housing wall 110 is substantially the same length as the contact 100 in the longitudinal direction, wherein an inclination part is provided at the corner between an edge face 113 and the upper face 112 through which another contact is easily inserted.
In a state where the bellows type contact is mounted in the connector housing, the flat part 101 of the contact 100 is positioned between both housing walls 110 and the tip end 105 extended from the contact part 103 is set close to the edge face 113 of the housing wall 110, and is positioned lower than the upper face 112 (see FIG. 14(A) In this state, if another contact (not shown) provided on the printed wiring board is inserted substantially horizontally from the left side in the same figure, a tip end of another contact is brought into contact with the inclined face of the contact part 103, and it slides on the inclined face and presses the same. When another contact is further inserted or pushed inward, it displaces and moves the flat part 101 and contact part 103 downward against elasticity of the flat part 101 and contact part 103 of the contact 100 so that a flat face of another contact covers a space between both housing walls 110, and the contact part 103 is displaced until it becomes substantially flush with the same plane as the upper face 112 while the tip end 105 of the contact 100 is brought into contact with or brought close to the bottom face 114, thereby maintaining a connecting state between two contacts (see FIG. 14(B)).
Further, the bellows type contact 200 shown in FIG. 15(A) has a contact part 203 which is formed by folding back one end of a flat part 201 upward and bending downward it. Depicted by 210 is the housing wall, 211 is a bottom face, 212 is an upper face and 213 is an edge face. The contact 200 has an inclined face formed by bending the contact part 203 upward. When the contact 200 contacts another contact (not shown), a tip end of another contact is brought into contact with the inclined face and slides thereon and it displaces and moves the flat part 201 and contact part 203 downward to the bottom face 211 against an elasticity of the flat part 201 and the contact part 203 so that the end of the flat part 201 is displaced to be brought into contact with or brought close to the bottom face 211 (see FIG. 15(B)). At this time, the inclined face of the contact effects a strike preventing function relative to another contact.
With the bellows type contact having the foregoing construction shown in FIGS. 14(A) and 14(B) when another contact is inserted into the contact 100 while the tip end 105 extended from the contact part 103 is set close to the edge face 113 of the each housing wall 110 and is positioned lower than the upper face 112, the tip end of another contact is brought into contact with the inclined face of the contact 100 to effect a strike preventing function of the contact 100. That is, if the tip end 105 of the contact 100 is positioned over the housing wall 110, the tip end of another contact is brought into contact with the tip end 105 of the contact 100 when another contact is inserted into the contact 100. However, the tip end 105 is not always moved downward and there is a possibility that the tip end 105 is pushed upward. Accordingly, the contact 100 is deformed abnormally or perpetually so that a normal contact relative to another contact cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is necessary that the bellows type contact has a strike preventing function such that the tip end 105 extended from the contact part 103 is set close to the edge face 113 and it is positioned lower than the upper face 112. Accordingly, when the contact of this type is mounted in the connector housing to obtain an elastic contact pressure by deforming it elastically by a given amount of deformation, it is necessary that the height of the housing wall 110 has to meet the requirement that the tip end 105 is brought into contact with or brought close to the bottom face 114 and the contact part 103 is substantially flush with the upper face 112 of the housing wall 110. As a result, the contact 100 requires a given height, and hence when it is mounted in the connector housing, it is necessary that the housing wall 110 has a height satisfying the displacement of the contact 100, causing a problem to thin the connector.
The bellows type contact 200 shown in FIGS. 15(A) and 15(B) has the contact part 203 which is formed by folding back one end extended from the flat part 201 bending upward and bending downward it. Because of the bending portion, the reduction of height of the contact 200 has limits in the direction of displacement of the contact in the same manner as the contact 100 shown in FIGS. 14(A) and 14(B) so as to elastically deforming the contact 200 by a given amount of deformation. Accordingly, it is necessary that each housing wall has a given height when the contact is mounted in the housing, causing the same problem to thin the connector as the contact shown in FIGS. 14(A) and 14(B).
The invention has been developed to solve the foregoing problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a contact capable of achieving the reduction of height of the contact in a direction of displacement, and of obtaining excellent contact pressure. It is another object of the invention to provide a contact capable of achieving further reduction of height of the contact in a direction of displacement, and of obtaining excellent contact pressure. It is still another object of the invention to provide a contact capable of eliminating damage at a contact part when manufacturing the contact, of reducing the height of the contact in a direction of displacement, and of realizing the miniaturizing of the contact.
It is still further object of the invention to provide a various electric connectors wherein the contact of the invention is applied to various connectors to reduce a housing space of a connector housing, thereby realizing the low-profile connector housing.
The above object can be attained by the following means.
The contact of the invention is characterized in comprising substantially a belt-like elastic contact member having a terminal at one end and a contact part at the other end and substantially a belt-like elastic protection member having a fixing part at one end and a protecting part at the other end, wherein the elastic contact member is spaced from and disposed in parallel with the protection member at a given interval while a tip end of the contact part of the elastic contact member is positioned inside the protecting part, and a part of the elastic contact member is brought into contact with or brought close to the protection member as the elastic contact member is elastically deformed.
Further, the contact is characterized in comprising substantially a belt-like elastic contact member having a terminal at one end and a contact part at the other end and substantially a belt-like elastic protection member having a fixing part at one end, a protecting part at the other end and an accommodation hole between the fixing part and the protecting part, wherein the elastic contact member is spaced from and disposed in parallel with the protection member at a given interval while a tip end of the contact part of the elastic contact member is positioned inside the protecting part, and the accommodation hole has a size to such an extent that a part of the elastic contact member enters the accommodation hole as the elastic contact member is elastically deformed.
As an embodiment of the invention, the contact has a structure wherein the protecting part of the protection member is formed by bending a tip end of the protection member substantially in a hook shape, further, a connection part extended from the fixing part of the elastic contact member is connected to the fixing part of the protection member.
Further, the contact has a structure wherein the elastic contact member is bent substantially in a wave shape like at a portion extending from the terminal to the contact part, or the fixing part for mounting the elastic contact member in the housing is provided between the terminal and the contact part of the elastic contact member and the height of the fixing part is higher than that of the contact part.
Still further, the contact has a structure wherein the elastic contact member is formed Ad substantially flat at a portion extending from the terminal to the contact part, or a part of the elastic contact member is positioned in the accommodation hole of the protection member, or the protection member is divided symmetrically along substantially a central line thereof in a longitudinal direction.
More still further, the invention has a structure wherein the foregoing contacts are mounted onto various connectors. The electric connector is characterized in comprising a housing, through holes provided on a side wall of the housing, contact housing chamber provided in the through holes wherein any contact of the foregoing contacts is housed in each contact housing chamber to form a female socket. And, each contact housing chamber is provided on either an upper face or a lower face of each through hole, or each contact housing chamber is provided on both upper and lower faces of each through hole. Further, another electric connector is characterized in comprising a housing, a housing base part, a protruding body protruded from the housing base part, a contact housing chamber provided on the protruding body, wherein any contact of the foregoing contacts is housed in each contact housing chamber and to form a male plug. Still further, each contact housing chamber is on either an upper face or a lower face of the protruding body, or each contact housing chamber is provided on both upper and lower faces of the protruding body.
The foregoing each contact is fixed in the housing while the protection member and the elastic contact member are substantially displaced in parallel with each other or flush with each other when the contacts are mounted in the connector housing, and the tip end of the elastic contact member is disposed inside the protecting part of the protection member and it is brought into contact with or brought into close to the inner face of the protecting part. With each contact having the foregoing construction, when another contact contacts the contact part 27 of the elastic contact member, the elastic contact member is moved downward and displaced, so that a part of the elastic contact member continued from the contact part, for example, the flat part, the inclined part, the tip end enter the accommodation hole or the tip end contacts the upper face of the protection member. Accordingly, the amount of displacement of the elastic contact member is secured when another contact contacts each contact so that the height of the contact in the direction of displacement is reduced, thereby realizing a so-called low-profile contact. Further, if each contact is mounted onto various connectors, the height of each side wall of the housing space of the connector housing can be reduced, thereby realizing various low-profile connectors